BRUSSELS – Belgium will ban entry to non-European Union travellers from Britain to limit the spread of a Covid-19 variant that has forced London to delay the lifting of its pandemic curbs.
Britain is on a list of 27 nations that will face the order to take effect by next Sunday at the latest, Jan Eyckmans, spokesman for Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke, told AFP yesterday.
Belgium is concerned about the Delta variant, which first emerged in India, that has caused a surge in Covid-19 cases in Britain, and forced the United Kingdom government to jettison plans to ease curbs from tomorrow.
With Belgium’s restrictions, which already apply to South Africa, India and Brazil, only EU citizens or the country’s own residents will be able to enter.
These travellers will still have to meet tight quarantine rules, as well as undergo coronavirus tests before being free to move in Europe.
The only exceptions for British or other non-EU travellers coming from a banned country are diplomats on essential work and transport personnel, said the government.
So far, in Belgium, the Delta variant accounts for 6.1% of infections, according to the most recent official data, but other research indicates that the actual rate is higher.
Eyckmans said the government does not want to jeopardise the massive effort made by Belgians just when the country’s vaccination rate became the fastest in the EU.
“Britain is five weeks ahead of us in their vaccination drive, and they had to postpone their plans to lift restrictions.
“But this is a temporary situation that will be re-evaluated regularly.”
The ban will tighten the current situation, in which British travellers have to show proof of the essential nature of their trip when making a visit from Britain.
The decision was taken at a meeting on Friday of the Belgian government’s Covid-19 committee that set the rules for fighting the spread of the disease, and will be published in the official journal in the coming days.
Of the 27 banned countries on Belgium’s list, Britain and Georgia are the only Europeans.
The others include Botswana, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Jordan, Qatar, Nepal, Bolivia, Paraguay, Chile, Trinidad and Tobago, Colombia, Bangladesh, Uganda, Argentina, Zimbabwe, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, Mozambique, Suriname, Peru and Pakistan. – AFP, June 20, 2021
